Can't get ROTTR to launch in dx12 anymore

ROTTR won't launch if I try to use dx12. I can play the game just fine as always if I'm in dx11 but after the latest patch I wanted to test dx12 mgpu. I thought maybe it was the game so verified game cache and all was well, then I even deleted it and re downloaded it / installed it again. Still doing it.

Just tried 16.7.2 (which I know was just a hotfix) but nope. No go. Anyone else?

UPDATE: soooooooooooooooooooo didn't realize I still had a reshade file in my directory. ugghhhh, after scanning and scanning through the files I saw something that didn't seem right. Deleted a few things and then verified cache again, let it get the proper files and boom I'm in dx12 mgpu

Oh and freesync is working as well!

So for anyone else that may stumble upon this with a similar issue.. NO RESHADE / SWEETFX!

every other game on my rig runs just as good as ever, even ROTTR in dx11 runs perfect. Once I click dx12 and launch the screen goes black like it's going to pop up the first log screens and boom back out to desktop

Re: OP I had the same problem on the latest drivers as well with 2x RX 480s. I reinstalled Windows 10 and the problem went away. Now I can run DX12 fine, but without FreeSync working.

amdmatt, I cannot get FreeSync in DX12 to work in ROTTR. I'm currently running 16.7.2 Hotfix drivers. The latest update has added multi-gpu support which is appreciated, but it seems to not play nicely with FreeSync. I've tried everything from, switching between Exclusive Fullscreen in ROTTR, different drivers, reinstalling windows 10, verifying cache, disabling steam overlays, turning FreeSync on and off on my monitor as well as in Crimson. I have an ASUS MG279 monitor and have tried running the game at 60hz and 90hz (the FreeSync supported options). FreeSync is working fine in other games, it just isn't working for me in ROTTR in DX12.

One commenter said this: "There are known Freesync issues with DirectX 12; albeit, only under specific circumstance in graphics processing unit utilization. Rise of the Tomb Raider should be exempt from scenario, and Freesync should be just fine. To my knowledge these issues are specific to proprietary software's conflict with the DirectX 12 API and Freesync. E.g. Windows Store (Windows 10)."

Can you share your results with us here? I'm assuming you're testing the RX 480 in CrossFire config.

Someone with 290 cards in the Steam thread I linked reported FreeSync was not working for them either. However, several others with 290s (including CrossFire) have it work fine. No reports on R9 380/390.

amdmatt it is my understanding that framerate target control is only available for DX9 to DX11 so I suspect that is why Freesync isn't working for some people since their framerate is over their freesync range in DX12. On my monitor my Freesync limit is 55 - 144Hz which 2x 480 is able to do at the native res of my monitor so Freesync works.

It is hard to test though since DXtory and Mirrilis Action don't work in DX12 with the app since it causes the game to crash on startup. The Steam Overlay doesn't show FPS with DX12 either. Fraps hasn't been updated since 2013 so can't be used for DX12. The inbuilt game benchmark ignores the framerate cap for both DX11 and DX12 so that isn't very useful either. The framerate cap does work under DX11 as you can see it in MSI Afterburner or DXtory and Mirillis Action apps.

With a single GPU the framerate is staying within the freesync tolerance zone for most people so they wouldn't see the issue most likely.

I am not sure if it is possible to limit the framerate in DX12 though personally I guess that is one for the engineer people. I know when it was introduced it was only for DX9 - DX11.

I checkedy and FRTC does not work on DX9/10/11, but i have noticed that FreeSync works for me in DX12 so long as you stay in the range. The problem, as you mentioned, is that there is no way to ensure you stay inside the range, unless you use Vsync. So far i tested Ashes and Hitman and FreeSync is appears to be working in both.

I can tell you for sure that when I have the settings maxed out in ROTTR at 1440p the game slows to a blur at the menu while the monitor reports 89hz (freesync range on this monitor is 35-90hz) so it would likely be out of the freesync range so it should show 35hz. I don't have much knowledge of how Low Framerate Compensation works (as it is supported on this monitor), however I think it would still show 35hz if the FPS was much lower than 35fps. Assuming FreeSync is working, settings are maxed out so the game is at a slow crawl, and the game is outside of this FreeSync monitor's supported boundaries (35-90), the monitor should show 35hz as it does in DX11. Even with FRTC enabled at 60 fps the monitor is still reporting 89hz. I've tried this all at 60hz on the monitor as well. It reports 60hz. Same results. With Vsync on in the game, the monitor still reports 89hz. With "Wait for Vertical Refresh" selected as "Always off", it actually crashed the game at launch once, but then ran okay again. However, still no appearance that FreeSync is within or without of range (assuming it's working).

If you look at CrossFire RX 490 benchmarks in ROTTR at 1440p (I know system specs widely vary, this is obvious), the two cards generally average around 80-90fps (not sure if any tests were done in DX12 though). It is in my believe these cards are not constantly running outside the FreeSync ranges during actual gameplay with settings maxed or with low. A constant 59hz or 89hz is reported. When running the DX11 benchmark test in ROTTR myself with the AMD CrossFire profile, I get an 80 fps average. And in gameplay generally between 50-90 (it does hit outside the FreeSync boundary sometimes, but goes back down in DX11). I think I'm getting a little too wordy here so I'll stop, but..

Is it possible there is an incompatibility with this monitor and this particular game in DX12 that can be fixed in software? It's an ASUS MG279 (144hz max, FreeSync supported at 60hz or 90hz). Do you have any recommendations for anything else I can try to get this working?

The MG279 has a freesync range of 35 - 90 by default, so it wouldn't only be below 35hz where it would be out of range but 91 - 144Hz also. I have that monitor and I modified mine to work at Freesync range of 55 - 144Hz with the CRU app. So try that. Some people can't go as low as 55Hz and need to use say 57 or 58Hz with that display. You won't be able to go lower than 55Hz and still keep 144Hz since the display can't handle that.

If you do alter it the monitor OSD will still say that the range is 35 - 90 but it still works at the higher rate.

No way I'm reinstalling Win 10 when every single other game (quiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite a few installed) works beautifully.. including DOOM on vulkan WOOOO that runs so good This is still a pretty fresh install anyway.

Who knows maybe that would help, but not worth the effort. I'm glad that solved your problem though but sucks about freesync. I just purchased a freesync monitor too

UPDATE: soooooooooooooooooooo didn't realize I still had a reshade file in my directory. ugghhhh, after scanning and scanning through the files I saw something that didn't seem right. Deleted a few things and then verified cache again, let it get the proper files and boom I'm in dx12 mgpu

Oh and freesync is working as well!

So for anyone else that may stumble upon this with a similar issue.. NO RESHADE / SWEETFX!

amdmatt thanks for all your support for both of us and thank you amdpete as well.

I used CRU and modified my Asus MG279 to have a FreeSync range of 35-110hz used a modified display driver. The varying hz still show on the OSD at 90hz and it works at 120hz (without OSD fluctuation--stays at 120hz). I can tell in game and from Crimson showing that FreeSync is enabled at 120hz.

DX12 titled I've tested where FreeSync works:

Hitman (I needed to use a registry hack to change the refresh rate from the default of 60hz to 90hz (120hz also working)

Is there really anything wrong with my setup? I reformatted my system because ROTTR didn't work in FreeSync. Could this be something on Crystal Dynamics side? I don't get why it isn't working for me, but it is with you both on CrossFire RX480s..

amdmatt / amdpete if you could chime in one last time it would be greatly appreciated.

Freesync showing at on in the Radeon Settings and the refreshrate is 120Hz doesn't mean that it is actually enabled at that maximum refreshrate since if your max range is 110Hz it shouldn't be working at 120Hz I wouldn't have thought. The Radeon setting is a global setting just to enable it in the drivers for a monitor that it detects as Freesync capable. Normally you need the desktop refreshrate and game refreshrate to be the same for Freesync to work and of course the game needs to be within the same FPS range as the Freesync range of the monitor.

Generally I would say if it is working for some games then it should be working for all of them so I am not sure otherwise why it wouldn't be working for you with ROTTR since we have the same monitor and drivers etc.

I have some more information about my system. Freesync in ROTTR works in single GPU configuration. The way I got it to work was completely unexpected. I had enabled multi-gpu on my Asus Z170 premium motherboard trying to get wake from sleep working properly (external HDs) the using on-board thunderbolt (alpine ridge) usb-c type controller. I noticed in GPU-Z that Crossfire had been disabled. I checked Crimson and indeed it was. I uninstalled the intel gpu drivers using the latest ddu, rebooted, but Crimson still showed the second card disabled. Both GPUs are using PCIe 8x. I finally uninstalled the AMD drivers using ddu and reinstalled. Crossfire mode works now, but Freesync is still not working in ROTTR (with two cards enabled I now know). I bought Ashes of the Singularity and DX12 w/ multi-gpu enabled and Freesync works properly.

amdpete I used CRU and the 60-144Hz config and Freesync works well. I can see it in the OSD. (Note: When the second card was disabled, these display settings worked fine with Freesync as well in ROTTR). Thanks for bringing the modification to my attention. I appreciate it!

At this point, maybe it will somehow get fixed in the next AMD driver version or if Crystal Dynamics puts out a new patch. That's all I can really see because you both cannot replicate the issue to report to the engineering team which I understand.